Manua's Toast — Private Flirtation Becomes Public Evidence
Plot Beats
The narrative micro-steps within this event
Manua serves champagne to Riker and Apgar, with a deliberate touch that hints at her interest in Riker, while Apgar is visibly ignored.
Riker toasts to Apgar's success, which Manua pointedly extends to include 'the rewards that come with it', further highlighting the tension between her and Apgar.
Manua feigns interest in Riker's mission, further distancing herself from Apgar's work, while Riker tries to navigate the awkward dynamics.
Manua insists Riker stay at the station, overriding Apgar's objections, showcasing her control over the situation and deepening the marital rift.
Manua openly criticizes Apgar's social skills in front of Riker, escalating the tension and underscoring the dysfunctional relationship.
Apgar confronts Riker about Starfleet's unscheduled visit, revealing his distrust and irritation, setting the stage for the conflict.
Who Was There
Characters present in this moment
Attentive and quietly concerned — noting interpersonal motives beneath performative politeness.
Troi watches the holographic social exchange closely from the background, taking in Manua's flirtation and Apgar's reaction — silently registering the emotional dynamics that undercut the scientific façade.
- • Assess the emotional truth underlying the holodeck reconstruction
- • Support Picard and Riker by offering empathetic interpretation if called upon
- • Social cues reveal motive more clearly than facts alone
- • Witnesses' emotional states should inform how testimony is interpreted
Polite and mildly uncomfortable; trying to appear blameless while internally aware the scene could be read against him.
Riker accepts Manua's glass, lightly touches her hand, attempts a friendly toast to Apgar, and answers Apgar's pointed questions defensively and politely — trying to minimize friction while upholding his prior testimony.
- • Keep the interaction civil and avoid giving Apgar reason to escalate
- • Maintain consistency with his testimony that the invitation originated with Mrs. Apgar
- • Transparency and calm answers will preserve his credibility
- • He is obligated to tell the truth even if it makes him vulnerable
Authoritative and controlled — treating the simulation strictly as evidence, ready to convert social behavior into prosecutable fact.
Krag studies the holographic interaction until he sees Manua's invitation; he abruptly orders the program stopped, reframes the domestic moment as evidentiary, and directly questions the real Riker about the overnight claim.
- • Lock down any simulation moment that supports the extradition case
- • Establish a credible foundation to argue Riker spent the night at the station
- • Behavior captured in the holodeck counts as factual reconstruction for investigation
- • A well-timed freeze and pointed question can turn social nuance into legal leverage
Confident and performative — using charm as a tool; surface warmth masks deliberate maneuvering to control perception.
Manua pours champagne into three flutes, deliberately offers a glass to Riker with a smile and light touch, then hands one to Apgar almost as an afterthought while delivering pointed, flattering lines that demean her husband and invite company.
- • Position Riker as welcome guest and normalize overnight company
- • Diminish Apgar's social footing to reframe household dynamics in front of witnesses
- • Social gestures and invitation can rewrite witness memory and create plausible narratives
- • Charm and staged hospitality will make the presence of Starfleet personnel seem natural
Humiliated and irritated — wounded by his wife's public diminishment and suspicious of outside interference.
Apgar scowls and refuses to join the toast; he vocalizes suspicion about Starfleet's presence, attempts to reassert professional boundaries, and grows sullen and withdrawn when Manua's social gambit sidesteps his objections.
- • Reclaim control over his lab schedule and professional autonomy
- • Expose or question Starfleet's purpose to re-center the encounter on his work
- • His scientific work should not be interrupted by social distractions
- • Starfleet presence in his lab is inappropriate and must be justified
Measured and firm — balancing duty to protocol with personal investment in crew fairness.
Picard observes the holographic tableau with measured attention, complies with Krag's request to freeze the program, and later resumes it — maintaining procedural neutrality while protecting the integrity of the reconstruction.
- • Ensure the holodeck reconstruction is handled fairly and accurately
- • Prevent procedural overreach while allowing Krag to present his evidence
- • The holodeck is a tool for transparent inquiry, not a venue for ambush
- • He must preserve Starfleet crew rights while cooperating with Tanugan investigations
Objects Involved
Significant items in this scene
Data's investigative holodeck program renders a full-scale reconstruction of the living area and the participants' gestures. It enables Krag to pause, freeze, and scrutinize the social exchange, transforming a private domestic moment into replayable evidence used to interrogate testimony.
Three champagne flutes are poured and exchanged as physical props that stage intimacy: Manua deliberately hands Riker a flute (their hands touch), then gives Apgar his glass as an afterthought. The glasses materialize the invitation and later serve as demonstrative evidence of hospitality.
Narrative Connections
How this event relates to others in the story
No narrative connections mapped yet
This event is currently isolated in the narrative graph
Themes This Exemplifies
Thematic resonance and meaning
Key Dialogue
"RIKER: To your success, Doctor."
"MANUA: ... and the rewards that come with it."
"KRAG: Then it's your testimony that it was Mrs. Apgar's idea for you to spend the night aboard the station. RIKER: It's my testimony... and it's the truth."